Reducing Food Waste

Problem Statement:

Food waste is a major challenge, globally and in Bahrain, with implications on food security, the environment, and the economy. Evidently, 34% of food served in West Asia is wasted, according to the United Nations Environment Program. In Bahrain, 216,161 tonnes of annual household food is wasted, which almost triples during the fasting month of Ramadan.

In terms of environmental implications, if food waste was a country, it would be the 3rd biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Economically, food waste and loss cost the global economy $936 billion a year. In addition, while tonnes and tonnes of food is wasted, many households live in hunger, as the food waste is enough to feed 12% of the global population, lifting them out of hunger. 

Proposed Solution:

Collaborate with Conserving Bounties Society, Bahrain’s food bank initiative, to raise awareness to the general public, on the scale of the food waste issue, its repercussions, and sustainable practices to adopt to reduce food waste. Among the sustainable practices emphasized is the society’s work of collecting surplus food to be redistributed to those in need and the existence of community fridges. 

Hub Activities:

Throughout the month of Ramadan in 2023, several data-driven posts were shared on the issue, its implications and practices to reduce food waste. Specific posts were also created to highlight the food bank’s work and their contact details. We also collaborated with a restaurant owner to create a video of a recipe using food leftovers, to inspire the audience to be creative with food leftovers.

During Ramadan of 2024, we shared a post highlighting that households are the highest source of food waste, and mapped the community fridges to help the community easily donate excess food. The existing community fridges were added to Google Maps to facilitate access. For the fridges mapped, guidelines for food donors and recipients were added to the fridges in 4 languages (English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu). They were also checked on the ground to ensure they are well-maintained by the neighboring community and were under an entity’s care/maintenance at the time of adding them to Google Maps. 

Short & Long-Term Goals/Results:

The campaign fulfilled its mandate of raising awareness on reducing food waste, by highlighting the issue and sharing practical solutions to implement. This is evidenced by the high engagement levels with the social media posts.  

Available Metrics:

For the campaign in 2023, collectively, the posts have been shared 164 times, which amplifies the impact of the campaign.

In 2024, 1,725 accounts engaged via likes, comments, shares and saves. In particular, it was shared 1,079 times. Also, Gulf Daily News published an article about the initiative. 

Collaborators:

Conserving Bounties Society

Restaurant owner of Darseen Cafe